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Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has unveiled a new front bench, days after an abortive leadership vote she called "unseemly" and "self-indulgent". Late last week, she survived a challenge after rival Kevin Rudd, a former prime minister, declined to contest a leadership ballot. On Monday Ms Gillard named replacements for a slew of cabinet and junior ministers who had supported Mr Rudd. And she hit out at last week's Labor party political infighting. Analysis By Nick BryantBBC News, Sydney "Unseemly" and "self-indulgent" were the words used by Julia Gillard, who said she was "appalled" by last week's leadership chaos in Canberra. Doubtless most voters would agree, but the problem for Ms Gillard is that many Australians believe she brought these problems on herself by ousting Kevin Rudd in 2010. Thus, the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" does not apply. Even if her leadership of the party is more secure after Mr Rudd announced he would never again seek … [Read more...]

A vulnerability in the widely used chip and pin payment system has been exposed by Cambridge University researchers. Cards were found to be open to a form of cloning, despite past assurances from banks that chip and pin could not be compromised. Poor implementation of cryptography methods were behind the flaw, researchers said. They accused some banks of "systematically" suppressing information about the vulnerabilities. Pre-play attack The team's research was presented at a cryptography conference in Leuven, Belgium, on Tuesday. The paper said despite chip and pin being in use for over a decade, it was only recently "starting to come under proper scrutiny from academics, media and industry alike". Each time a customer is involved in a chip and pin transaction, be it withdrawing cash or purchasing goods in a shop, a unique "unpredictable number" is created to authenticate the transaction. The unpredictable number (UN), generated by software within cash points and other similar … [Read more...]

A recent threat, purportedly from the hacker group Anonymous, stated boldly that its members would stop the internet on 31 March. The term "Operation Blackout" was coined and it caused much discussion in all the usual forums. Those issuing the threat even stated how they would do it.They claimed they could disable the Domain Name Service(known by engineers as the DNS) and that would stop the internet. How so? The Domain Name Service is what converts the web addresses you type into your browser (such as www.bbc.co.uk) into what the internet actually uses: IP addresses (something like 212.58.244.66). It is essentially the phone book for the internet. If you could prevent access to the phone book then you would effectively render the web useless. Image caption The DNS ensures that you are sent to the correct site when you enter a web address The theory behind the proposed attack is based on the fact that the Domain Name Service is a tree structure: it starts with 13 servers at the top … [Read more...]

The biggest security concerns for the coming year will be cyber-sabotage and cyber-espionage, say industry experts. They cite the success of the Stuxnet worm in attacking industrial control systems as a prime example of what to expect in 2011. Other predictions include a rise in sophisticated malware, Wikileaks-style breaches and a focus on mobile. But Stuxnet type attacks top the list of forthcoming fears after the success it had interfering with Iran's nuclear power generation efforts. In November, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad confirmed that Stuxnet had hit its target. "They succeeded in creating problems for a limited number of our centrifuges with the software they had installed in electronic parts," Mr Ahmadinejad told a news conference. 'Destruction' Researchers who have studied Stuxnet say its complexity suggests it could only have been written by a "nation state" in the West, rather than an organised crime group. Security firm Kaspersky described Stuxnet as "a … [Read more...]

Is there such a thing as security so good it's a danger to society? That's the bigger picture at hand as Apple continues to fight an order to unlock a terrorist's iPhone. That fight made its way to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, the government body that covers matters relating to how law and order is enforced in the US. Over the course of four meandering hours, representatives dived headfirst into the complexities of the case FBI director James Comey said is the most difficult issue he has ever had to deal with. He told the committee that his organisation was seriously concerned by the growth of what law enforcement describe as "warrant-proof spaces" - the term given for methods of communication or storage that, even with the correct permission from the court, can't be accessed. Not by police and not by technology companies. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Apple has strong support among its users - and from the technology … [Read more...]

Aviation agencies in Europe and the US are keen to quiz a hacker who targeted flight deck computers. Security researcher Hugo Teso was able to "hijack" the systems to feed false navigation information to a simulated jet that made it change course. Mr Teso built his simulator using spare parts from real jets for sale on the eBay auction site. Authorities say actual flight computers are not compromised by his work but want to find out more. Security issues The loopholes in the flight management system were detailed by Mr Teso during a presentation to the Hack In The Box conference in Amsterdam. Mr Teso, who is also a qualified commercial pilot, said he had spent the past four years investigating the many different computer and data systems found on aircraft which help them fly and navigate safely. "I expected them to have security issues but I did not expect them to be so easy to spot," he said. "I thought I would have to fight hard to get into them but it was not that difficult." Mr … [Read more...]

PetroChina has agreed a deal to buy ​BHP Billiton's stake in the Browse liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia. China's biggest oil and gas producer will pay $1.63bn (£1bn) for the stake. Chinese firms have been keen to acquire oil and gas assets in an attempt to meet the growing energy demand in China prompted by its economic growth. Earlier this month, China's CNOOC got the nod from Canadian authorities to takeover oil firm Nexen. "The main driver of these acquisitions is to source oil and gas for the Chinese market," Tony Regan of consultancy firm Tri-Zen told the BBC. "Though the domestic production in China is growing, it is never going to be able to keep pace with the growth in demand," he added. 'Bit more security' PetroChina has agreed to buy BHP's 8.3% stake in the East Browse and 20% holding in the West Browse joint venture. I think they are looking for a bit more security by becoming equity partners at the producers of these assetsTony Regan, Tri-Zen … [Read more...]

Media captionCould the chip and pin system have had its day?Go to a cash machine in Japan or Poland and there's a good chance you'll find a finger-sized scanner next to the keypad. The pattern of veins inside your finger is said to be more distinctive than your fingerprint, and is being heralded by some experts as a more secure alternative to the chip and pin (Personal Identification Number) card system currently favoured by British banks. Electronics giant Hitachi already manufactures a PC-compatible finger vein scanner, which is about the size of a computer mouse and contains LED lights and a video camera. Currently retailing online for £195 plus VAT each, they are not a cheap option. "It is the fastest and most accurate technology we've seen to date," said Roberto Fiorentino, chief executive of British firm Croma Security Solutions, which has fitted finger vein-based security systems in UK hotels, airports and most recently a police armoury. "I have no doubt we will see this … [Read more...]

Media captionSimon Gompertz tries the new finger scanner out A new way of accessing bank accounts is being launched which identifies individuals through the unique pattern of veins in their fingers. Instead of having to use a series of passwords and numbers, users will be able to log on to their accounts by placing one of their fingers into a scanner. The technology is quite distinct from fingerprint recognition. To begin with, Barclays will offer the service to business customers only. However, "finger vein authentication", as it is known, is likely to be offered to all customers in the future. A portable scanner, the size of a tennis ball, is plugged into the computer's USB port and uses near-infra-red light to check the unique pattern of veins inside the finger. Only a living finger is accepted by the scanner, reducing the risk that fraudsters will use substitutes or copies to break into a bank account. Banks are casting around for new ways to combat fraud, as users become … [Read more...]

Media captionPaul Heaney reports from the protest in Newport city centreAround 250 people have taken part in demonstration in Newport against the Nato summit being held in the city. About 100 spent the night at a peace camp in the city's Tredegar Park ahead of the planned protest. The numbers are low compared to earlier predictions of many thousands descending on the city. They marched from the city's cenotaph to the Coldra roundabout near the Celtic Manor Hotel, the main venue for the two-day summit. Image caption Protesters shouted 'No new wars' and 'They say warfare, we say welfare' as they marched Image caption A cordon of police in riot gear met the protesters at the Celtic Manor Once the march reached the "ring of steel" at the Celtic Manor, they found a group of police in riot gear on the other side of a metal barrier. A delegation of the protesters went to meet Nato officials behind the fence where they handed them a letter and a bouquet of flowers. Protesters started hammering … [Read more...]

TORONTO - He can run, hide, change his appearance, identity, escape from custody and even try to fly in an effort to allude capture by police. Alleged burglar Justin Yates has some serious moves in his bag of tricks to avoid going back to jail. But Toronto Police have a few of their own too. Yates found that out Saturday night. The 39-year-old fugitive, on the lam since getting out of metal leg restraints and sneaking out of a hospital bathroom and past two corrections officers Jan. 27, has been collared again. We learned that he was possibly staying in a unit at Parliament and Dundas, explains 52 Division Major Crime Squad Det. Const. Det. Chris Hominuk. But they had read that script before. Like with Steven Spielbergs famous movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, they have been playing cat and mouse with this suspect for two weeks and knew if he was indeed in this apartment, he would not come in easily. They were right. He jumped out of the window, said one copper on the scene. … [Read more...]

Media captionHow safe is your webcamThis is the first of a two-part series on the techniques and tradecraft of ethical hackers. The second part will appear later this week. All day. Every day. Anyone and anything connected to the net is under attack. The standard defences, such as antivirus programs, firewalls, spam filters and intrusion detectors will stop most of those attacks reaching their target - be that a person, a computer or a database. Now and then an attack does get through but, if the target is you, the chances are you will spot the fake emails when they land in your inbox. But what about more sophisticated attacks that are becoming increasingly common? These are the ones in which the bad guys do their homework so messages look like they come from colleagues or quote names, incidents and ID numbers that only insiders would know. Then there are the attacks that use a known vulnerability in widely used software to grab login IDs and use them to crack open a corporate network. … [Read more...]

This article is designed to be an easy-to-understand guide to the UK's vote to leave the European Union. What does Brexit mean? It is a word that has become used as a shorthand way of saying the UK leaving the EU - merging the words Britain and exit to get Brexit, in a same way as a possible Greek exit from the euro was dubbed Grexit in the past. Why is Britain leaving the European Union? A referendum - a vote in which everyone (or nearly everyone) of voting age can take part - was held on Thursday 23 June, to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union. Leave won by 52% to 48%. The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting. Find the result in your area What was the breakdown across the UK? England voted for Brexit, by 53.4% to 46.6%, as did Wales, with Leave getting 52.5% of the vote and Remain 47.5%. Scotland and Northern Ireland both backed staying in the EU. Scotland backed Remain by 62% to 38%, while 55.8% in Northern Ireland … [Read more...]

The modern world is a house of cards built upon encryption. Make a mobile phone call and encryption is there to stop eavesdroppers listening in. Spend money online and encryption ensures your card number and identity cannot be scooped up and used elsewhere. And the money that keeps global banking systems lubricated only does so thanks to cryptographic software that turns a stream of data into unintelligible nonsense. Remove all that encryption and the whole lot comes tumbling down. If that happens we might return to an era when commerce was mostly done face-to-face and based around who you know. Scrambled Yet quantum computers - another modern marvel - are threatening to make this doomsday scenario a reality. Why? "Because of the possibilities for massive parallelism," says Prof Mark Manulis, a cryptographic expert from the University of Surrey's department of computing. In other words, because of a quantum computer's potential ability to do trillions of calculations a second. When a … [Read more...]

In a week's time, Argentina could face another default. This time, there could be a severe impact not just in terms of economic growth but also on bond markets worldwide. A US court has ordered Argentina to meet with its creditors "continuously" from today until they agree a deal. But, Argentina's lawyer said that a settlement "can't be done by the end of this month." In which case, Argentina would default. How did it get here? Argentina is refusing to abide by a previous US court order to pay all of its creditors, specifically the hold-outs who wouldn't agree to the "haircut" or loss that was accepted by the vast majority of bondholders. This has taken the country to the brink of another default. I previously wrote about the events that led up to this point. The refusal of the US Supreme Court to hear the appellate court case means that the lower court's interpretation of pari passu stands. That pari passu clause in effect means that Argentina must pay all bondholders and not just the … [Read more...]

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Friday, on Air Force One, President Trump told reporters a new Executive Order, relating to the travel ban from 7 predominantly Muslim countries, could be issued as earlier as Monday. It would be wise for the administration to rework the original order to pass legal muster, if that's possible. Four Federal Judges blocked the original order from being enforced, all on the same grounds. Two of those Judges were appointed by Republican presidents. The odds do not look good for the Trump administration winning future legal fights with the order remaining in its current form. At least one objection raised by all the judges should be an easy fix. The Trump administration needs to draft an order that explicitly excludes green card holders, permanent residents and those who already have visas after having gone through extensive vetting. A bigger judicial objection to overcome is the Trump team's claim that refugees and immigrants from the seven countries present an … [Read more...]

Q: On Nov. 7, my son had $3,000 taken out of an ATM in a city he doesn't live in. He discovered this within days, when he tried to log in to his online banking account but found he had been locked out. He drove to his local branch and was told he'd been locked out because his billing address and password had been changed on his account. My son asked how this, and the theft of $3,000, could happen. At first, Chase told him someone had written a check on the account. Then Chase said someone had "hacked" (their word) his account through his Chase phone banking application and one of Chase's new eATMs that don't use ATM cards. The following day, my son filled out police reports in his city and the city where this occurred and indicated he would prosecute if the thief was apprehended. Chase immediately issued my son a conditional $3,000 credit while they investigated. The next day, my son tried to log into his account but was unable to, due to "too many attempts." Once again, he drove his … [Read more...]

Thousands of critical medical systems, such as MRI machines, are available for hackers to access online, according to researchers. Some 68,000 medical systems from a large unnamed US health group have been exposed, they said. Security researchers Scott Erven and Mark Collao presented their findings at hacker conference Derbycon. They also revealed that they had created fake medical devices which attracted thousands of hackers. Interfaces connected to medical systems were available via search engine Shodan, the researchers told conference-goers. The researchers used Shodan - a search engine specifically for internet-connected devices - to look for exposed software from a range of health treatment providers, such as radiology and paediatric clinics, as well as one large healthcare organisation. They told tech news website the Register that they ended up with "thousands of misconfigurations and direct attack vectors". Medical malware Hospitals whose networking equipment and administrative … [Read more...]

Six out of seven young hospital doctors are at risk of burning out and many are going without eating or drinking during their shift because pressures on the NHS are putting more strain on working conditions, a study has found. More than 2,300 trainee anaesthetics responded to a survey about their working lives carried out by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), which described some of the findings as “shocking”. Two thirds of respondents said their physical or mental health were affected by the pressures at work, 62 per cent said they had gone through a shift in the last month without a meal, 75 per cent said they were working without hydrating themselves and 28 per cent said they had stayed at work more than two hours after their shift to ensure someone was properly taking over and it was safe for them to go. Speaking to The Independent, President of the college Dr Liam Brennan said: “The results showed that 85 per cent of trainees are at risk of burning … [Read more...]

Fear and panic have gripped America's immigrant community as reports circulate that federal agents have become newly aggressive under President Donald Trump, who campaigned for office with a vow to create a "deportation force." Federal officials insist they have not made fundamental changes in enforcement actions, and they deny stopping people randomly at checkpoints or conducting "sweeps" of locations where undocumented immigrants are common. But anxiety among immigrants spiked this week after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency conducted a series of enforcement actions in large metropolitan areas. On Saturday the agency announced that more than 200 people had been arrested this week in six states overseen by the Chicago office. That was in addition to more than 160 detained in the Los Angeles area, as well as arrests in New York, Atlanta and other cities. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Congress on Saturday demanded an immediate meeting with Thomas Homan, the … [Read more...]